Antigo & Madison, Wisc., April 1959April 1959

# Summary

In April 1959, radar operators and a fighter pilot tracked multiple unidentified objects over Wisconsin. The objects appeared as red and green lights with a bright white glow below. They were detected on radar near Antigo and Madison starting around 1:20 a.m. on April 14.

The radar showed 25 to 30 objects scattered across the sky, with some arranged in lines. They moved at a ground speed of up to 250 knots (roughly 290 miles per hour) against the wind direction. The objects flew an erratic, highly maneuverable path and seemed to pick up to very high speeds. When a pilot from the 325th Fighter Squadron scrambled to intercept them, he reached 46,000 feet, but the objects were reported to be even higher. By the time he returned to base, the objects were still in the area. The entire sighting lasted approximately two hours before the objects faded from radar.

The Air Force investigation included interviews with reliable military observers: a skilled weapons controller at Antigo Air Force Station, a pilot, and a controller at the Air Defense Control Center in Madison. Weather conditions at the time were clear with 15-mile visibility and south winds at 22 knots. Radar operators took photographs of the radar scope to document what they had tracked.

Air Force officials investigated whether an aurora borealis (northern lights display) might have caused both the visual sighting and the radar signals. However, after contacting the University of Wisconsin, investigators learned that an aurora would not produce radar returns. The case file notes that "anomalous propagation" (unusual bending of radio waves in the atmosphere) may have contributed to the radar activity, but the file does not provide a definitive conclusion about what the objects were.

The complete case file, including radar logs and communications between Air Force stations, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 8 pages.